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Home > MaineCat > Visiting Patron Procedure

Visiting Patron Procedure

Principles | Participating Libraries | Check Out Instructions | Notes

Introduction

The Visiting Patron function enables libraries to establish convenient and secure reciprocal walk-in borrowing arrangements with other libraries. All that is required is that both the lending library and the patron's library use an Innovative Interfaces online system linked together through the MaineCat.

When an item is checked out in Visiting Patron mode the MaineCat central system authenticates the patron with his or her home institution. If there are blocks on borrowing privileges or if for any other reason the patron is not eligible to borrow off-site, the Visiting Patron function will immediately communicate that to circulation desk staff at the lending institution and the loan will be blocked.

Principles

Use of the Visiting Patron function is encouraged but is optional.  Participation in MaineCat does not necessitate use of the Visiting Patron option. 

The borrower's home library is ultimately responsible for return of materials and payment of replacement costs, should that be necessary.

It follows that use of the Visiting Patron function requires a mutual decision between the lending library and the patron's library.  Both must agree before patrons of a given library are allowed to borrow from another library.  Maine State Library staff must be notified of all such agreements in order to configure systems to support them.

Participating Libraries

Libraries Using the Visiting Patron Function
Reciprocal Walk In Borrowing Group Participants
GPACU (Greater Portland Academics) Maine Museum of Art (MECA)
St. Joseph College (Minerva)
Southern Maine Community College (Minerva)
University of New England (UNE)
University of Southern Maine (URSUS)
Waterville Area Colby College (COLBY)
Kennebec Valley Community College (Minerva)
Maine General Medical Center (Minerva)
Thomas College (Minerva)
Unity College (Minerva)
Waterville PL (Minerva)
Presque Isle Northern Maine Community College (Minerva)
University of Maine at Presque Isle (URSUS)

How-To Instructions For Circulation Staff

Eligibility

I.  Verify eligibility based on the patron's borrower's card, or other acceptable identification.   It is up to lending library staff to know the institutions to which Visiting Patron privileges are extended and  deny loans to individuals from institutions with which reciprocal arrangements have not been made.

Check Out Routine

Millennium Circulation
  1. Select the INN-Reach icon on the let side of the Millennium Circulation screen.
  2. Select the Check Out to Visitor Check-Out icon.
  3. Click the small downward pointing arrow beneath the "Choose patron's affiliated institution" directive.
  4. Click once on the name of the system to which the visiting patron's library belongs. ("9ilms" is the designation for Minerva)
  5. Click the Select button.
  6. Enter the patron's barcode as directed.
  7. Enter the item barcode(s) as directed.
  8. Click Close when done.  Click Up One Level to exit the INN Reach area of MilCirc.

Notes

  1. Items are checked out for the institutional loan period used for other INN Reach transactions. Currently set at 38 days, discussions are ongoing about possibly reducing its length.
  2. Check-in is done using regular circulation functionality.  It is not necessary to know at check-in time whether an item is being returned by a Visiting Patron or a normal user.
  3. If the item is returned at a location other than the one from which it was borrowed,  the system will recognize that the item should be sent to the lending site and prompt staff to do so.  When prompted, staff receiving the foreign item should choose the option to produce a transit slip and not check in the item, then ship the item to the owning site.